The Limerick City and County Council election has attracted 90 candidates spread over six electoral regions, all vying for 40 council seats. In a historic first for Ireland, voters will have the chance to directly elect Limerick’s mayor. Contesting for the mayoral title are four incumbent councillors – Daniel Butler of Fine Gael, Frankie Daly who is independent, Social democrats’ Elisa O’Donovan, and Labour’s Conor Sheehan. The successful mayoral candidate will enjoy an executive role with an annual remuneration close to €160,000 and a budget of €40 million at their disposal.
Should the mayoral race winner also secure a council seat, the seat would be filled via co-option. Candidates cite crucial issues facing Limerick’s metropolitan and rural areas such as housing, University Hospital Limerick congestion, rampant drug use and anti-social behaviour in the city centre, high residential and commercial rents, and road conditions.
Leading the council, post the 2019 election, is Fine Gael with 13 seats, followed closely by Fianna Fáil with 11. Independent candidates and Sinn Féin and Labour hold seven and three seats respectively, with the Green Party and Social Democrats maintaining two and one seat(s) respectively.
Notable exits from Limerick’s politics include Fine Gael’s Gerald Mitchell and John Egan, and candid barrister and Independent councillor Emmett O’Brien, along with Kevin Sheahan, a long-standing Fianna Fáil member since 1985. Limerick hurler Cian Lynch’s father and retired detective garda, Sean Lynch, hopes to regain his council seat as an independent candidate, having lost it in the 2019 election. Abdul Kalem Azad Talukder, Limerick’s first Muslim councillor, seeks re-election.
The various electoral areas and their respective number of seats available are:
Adare – Rathkeale: 6 seats
Cappamore – Kilmallock: 7 seats
Limerick City East: 7 seats
Limerick City North: 7 seats
Limerick City West: 7 seats
Newcastle West: 6 seats
The European and Dublin elections will also coincide with this 2024 Elections season.
The text discusses voting related elements in Ireland’s South. It mentions the EU&I Voter App and the local elections including the Mayor of Limerick. The list below presents several local regions which might be participating in the elections in question.
Regions include: Carlow, Cavan, Clare, both Cork City and County, DLR, Donegal, Dublin City, also South Dublin, Fingal, Galway City and County, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, and Wicklow.
It directs attention to the 2019 electoral results of Limerick City & County Council as well. There seems to be complete coverage of the local elections and the European Election. The text suggests listening to the Inside Politics Podcast and viewing the newest political polls and public sentiment.